Meet the Artist
Sarah Cribari is a botanical artist and nature lover based on the front range in Colorado. Using the historical photography method of cyanotype printing, she creates elegant works of art on paper and fabric with objects from nature and the sun.
Through her cyanotype prints she looks to encourage others to engage with the natural world in a wild, wholehearted, and intentional way.
Originally from Wisconsin, Sarah discovered this art form during her 10 years of living in the Arizonan desert where sunlight was plentiful.
Now settled in Northern Colorado, she uses this printing process to create whimsical and elegant botanical images that showcase the silhouettes of nature. Her original artwork and prints feature bold blue and white colors contrasted with the delicate shapes of the natural world.
What is a cyanotype?
Cyanotype (or sun printing) uses a sunlight sensitive solution and pieces of nature to create magical looking, blue toned images.
This historic photographic process was created by Sir John Herschel in 1842 to reproduce diagrams (or blueprints). Due to the composition of the chemicals used, the prints are always a cyan blue.
But it wasn’t until two years later when his botanist and photographer friend, Anna Atkins, used this process to document plants and publish her book that cyanotype became an art form.
The Cyanotype Process
First, a UV sensitive solution of ferric ammonium citrate and potassium ferricyanide is applied to the paper.
Once dry, specimens are placed on top of the paper and secured. I specialize in using flowers, leaves, and other pieces of nature from local growers and my own yard.
The prints are then set out in the sun to develop. Anything covered by the florals turn white, while everything else remains blue.
After the prints are exposed to sunlight, they are washed and the blue color emerges!
Finally, the prints dry and oxidize over the next 24 hours to reveal the iconic Prussian Blue color of cyanotypes.
Explore the SHOP
If you’re looking for botanical art and home goods to inspire your wild heart, head to the shop.
